Sulking would get him nowhere, the only way forward was to get stronger. He was going through the stances and movements of the Marauder Holocron, he had power but his body obviously couldn't wield it well enough. It was a blow to his pride but if nothing else, and his life really relied on it, he could Ash a motherfucker...Hopefully.
Menma floated off the ground slightly as his sabers flew around his body, weaving in intricate patterns, this was his own little pet project, if he could blend ferocity and fluidity into his combat style it would overwhelm his opponent, he'd practice with Force manipulation but he didn't want to break the ship in half.
The com pinged when he was about three or so hours into his workout, his sabers floated to the floor. He prodded the answer button and the image of Corrin, "My Lord, Kaal and I have uncovered information that may interest you." Informed the white haired minx.
"And that would be?" Asked Menma,
"We have mapped the locations of various storehouses used by Darth Zash when she was recovering artifacts of Tulak Hord, his arms and armour for one, or there is the 'Force Walk' technique back on Dromund Kass that she had been researching." Menma perked at this, both of these would be a great boon to him, the Feral Sith nodded to himself.
"We'll return to Dromund Kass for the time, but we'll send Mjorin and Kory ahead to investigate the cache, they can take the Fury." Ordered Menma. "And get me an Eye patch. This scar is hideous." He added, Corrin bowed and with a swift 'Yes my lord' she was gone.
"I think you look hardened, Master. The scar isn't hideous, it's the mark of a warrior." Said Jaessa, she'd been observing him watching the flow of the Force to try and see what she needed to do to mimic his movements. Unlike the others she'd never wielded the Dark Side, so Menma was giving her a few catch-up lessons.
"Thank you, for your words Jaessa. Sweet thing that you are." Thanked Menma with an amused smile on his lips, the girl was clad in a dark purple wrapping, a hood covering her head, her top lip painted lilac whilst a sliver of it coated her bottom. Dark clouds edged her eyes, it seems she'd taken to putting up the goth-ish makeup.
Her double-bladed lightsaber laid out across the floor, in place of the old yellow crystal was a synthetic red.
"May I ask a question, Master?" Asked the girl.
"I'm your teacher, Jaessa. I'm not your keeper, if you want to ask something of me, do so." Reminded Menma, Jaessa nodded breathing in the dark power emanating from her Lord.
"How did you know where Master Karr and I were?"
"I drained the information out of a soldier who was apart of the network of protectors set up by Karr to keep anything outside of his control from getting to you, quite amusing that a former Sith Lord would boast about the qualities of the Light, and then sink to the Dark Side once more." Menma paused in his thoughts for a moment before turning to the side of the room.
"Do you know what I've learnt from that experience though, Khem." Said Menma, looking to his shadow, his Dashaad.
"What is that, my Master?" Asked the creature, eager to see how his master would devour the souls of the dead.
"Playing fair, is disgustingly overrated. If I have an advantage I should just fucking press it instead of putting myself in jeopardy. I'll have to overlook all mercy from now on, because it just bites me, I leant this as a child how have I forgotten such a simple lesson?" Golden Lightning sparked across the Sith Lords fingers as he looked out into space, rather dramatic really. "Let's go, I'm starting to sulk again." Said Menma, his sabers floated up to his belt and slid into their holsters, Jaessa and Khem following after him.
Bridge
Menma accepted the medical patch from Corrin as he sat in his chair, slipping it on he pondered how he would recover from this, if he got a cybernetic eye it would indeed held him, perhaps a deeper field of veiw, zoom control, all that shit. But if he did, he'd be thrown off balance considerably because of it, one eye would be greatly sharper than the other, a transplant would more than likely be the best option but that would also leave him open to assassination, a tricky question.
Colour him paranoid but being around other Sith made him antsy, it was like waking up in a vipers nest. You may think the snakes are your friends until they bite you, but it is only a question of when. It wounded him slightly that he'd have to constantly look over his shoulder whenever he was outside of his own ship. Perhaps he could just have a doctor do the treatment on the ship, under surveillance. That'd be a quick fix. He took a pad from his chair and added it to his to-do list.
Mjorin and Kory came to the bridge, he spun around to look at them as he spoke, "Good, you two will be going ahead to Tatooine, apparently that's where Zash hid the armour, I'll give the coordinates. Don't bother landing in the spaceport, just fly straight there, that dustbin is worse than Suna." Grumbled the Sith, his apprentices bowed. "Are you comfortable going as a duo, or would you like to take others?" Asked Menma.
"A medic, and engineer would be best, my lord. In case we require repairs of medical aid." Said Mjorin, Menma nodded, "Thank you my Lord. I shudder to think what it would be like to serve under anyone else."
"Well most Sith take the whole 'Blundeon them into submission' thing a little far, so I suppose that's something." Said Menma with an amused smile, Kory mirrored it as the two left. "Good luck." Waving to their back the ex-Uzumaki swivled his chair once more.
He turned to his pilot and ordered, "Depart after the Fury has left us."
"Of course my Lord." Said the Imperial man.
"Master, how did you manage to take this ship for yourself?" Asked Jaessa, standing next to his chair, Khem behind him, Corrin and Kaal on his other side as they watched the galaxy around them.
"I tore apart a republic vessel and coated its walls red on my way through, that's how Phyne got her saber actually. Killing a Jedi apprentice while I captured a fat cyborg with too much information." Informed Menma, "I asked for the ship as a reward for my service, and got it. Not much too it really."
"He pulled the missiles launched by the Brentaal Star off course and threw them back into the enemy ship." Added Khem, Menma sighed brushing a loose strand behind his ear.
"Arrogance lost me an eye, Khem. Try to avoid sucking my dick too much." Khem had a disgusted look on his face at that, "What we learn?"
"That you are depraved as you are powerful."
"Oh you bitch work the shaft, more saliva!" Shouted Menma, Khem growled at him, the Sith just kept staring at him with a straight face, "What'd I say?"
"You two..." Said Kaal, struggling to keep in his chuckles. Corrin hiding her smile with her hand.
"There's another lesson, Jaessa." Said Menma, getting the girls attention, "The world of the Sith ends the second you enter this ship, here we're just people of the Empire. Feel free to bathe in virgins blood if that's your thing, but try to avoid murdering my subordinates." Jaessa smirked but nodded, the intoxicating power of her Master swaying every fiber of her being.
"Of course, Master."
"Master, when is the next training session?" Asked Phyne, leading Tino, Varis and his brother, Rickon.
"Did you guys finish your physical training?" Asked Menma, swiveling to view them, Khem stepping aside as he did so.
"Aye, boss. We did, you shoulda seen little Phyne here, almost hacked up a lung." Snickered Tino, Phyne struck him in the ribs making him wince, the twins shook their heads.
"Well that's good, I'll show you some hand to hand techniques. Lucky for you lot it's a very brute focused style, I'm sure you'll love it." Pain forgotten, Tino fist pumped in victory. Menma slid out of his chair, "Come on, we'll head to the training room. First lesson, pain tolerance." They all paled at the haunting chuckle of their Master.
"Jaessa join the troops in their training. It'll prep you for the harder stuff I'll put your through later, unlike the others you don't have the luxury of training on Korriban." Said Menma as he left the room, his apprentices in tow.
"'Luxury'. Korriban was hell." Mumbled Kaal, shaking his head. Corrin recalled her own time there, they were not there long, but it was long enough to leave an impression. A year at most, but it felt like an eternity, the stress of constantly looking over your own shoulder, the fear that anything at any moment could/would kill you. It felt like they'd aged a decade in that year.
"For the week, any trial seems great." Said Khem, before going to join in on the pummeling of the young Siths.
Training Room
"Alright, come at me and I'll show you what I'll be teaching you." Said Menma, taking a wide stance, one hand tensed and the other in a loose fist, it was something his Snakes had taught him, 'Whiptail Stance'. Very counter based but also incredibly brutal, through years of training one learnt to feel the vibrations around them after going into a trance, this allowed the fighter to take out anyone who would approach, from any angle.
It's what got him to Chunin rank, actually. Brutalizing his competition in the exams seemed to be enough to please those watching. It was ever so fun when his brother tried to fight him, the pathetic whelp lost a tooth and several pints of blood for his efforts. Ahh, better times.
"Alright, kids. Come at me." Ordered Menma, gesturing them forth, Tino barreled straight towards him, Menma stepped to the side, tapping his chest with just enough power to unbalance him before striking him in the ribs with enough force to crack them and send him rolling onto the ground, Rickon and Varis came at the same time Varis aimed for his body while Rickon tried to strike him neck, weaving through Rickon's strike, Menma pushed a 'twitch point' as the Snakes called it, on the younger twins elbow, making his arm snap back and strike the older, with a sweep of his legs Menma threw them both onto their back then proceeded to strike them in the chest, winding them.
"C'mon, Phyne." Ordered Menma, the woman shook off her nerves, sliding forward to get into arms reach, Menma followed her movements, barely doing any of his own, only to adjust or reposition. Phyne struck with a kick only for Menma to bat it away before striking her in the stomach, Phyne was suspended for a moment before the air left her lungs and her vision blurred, falling down and rocking back in forth.
"And now, we meditate." Said Menma, sitting down with his legs crossed the Force within him stretching out and linking to the galaxy itself. His mind was drawn deep into the stream of life in the great abyss.
"Flesh of my Flesh. Come to me, to the Dark Temple. You path holds danger, I have foreseen it." The strong voice echoed in his very blood, Menma's eyes shot open the feeling of someone stronger than himself running through his body for a mere moment, it felt odd, like it was his own power but...Older. Strange indeed.
The Dark Temple, huh? Strange that it took until now for whoever this was to contact him, he was there not so long ago. It didn't matter, not like he was going too far out of the way. As if on que the Fury blasted off towards Tatooine, Menma pulled out his com, "To Dromund Kass, please." Within a few moments the ship began turning around, before slipping away into the darkness of space.
Dromund Kass
Menma received a holo-com call within seconds of 'landing'. "Apprentice." Was the curt, greeting by Darth Baras. "Imagine my surprise when I feel my old nemesis, Noman Karr fall, through the Force, care to inform me as to why?"
"Would you believe me if I said I was on Hutta for personal business and sensed a Jedi?" Jested Menma, amused at best, Baras was far from intimidating. The chubby fuck didn't look ready to tackle anything more than the buffet.
"You dare joke with me at a time like this? My spy network, compromised, my pull in the republic weakened, all because Noman Karr disappeared directly after leveling accusations! You foolish child, how dare you do this!" Roared the tiny image of the Darth.
"Well...I was on Hutta for personal reasons-" Began the Feral Sith.
"SHUT. UP!" Snapped the man, Menma had to stifle his laughter to avoid grinning like a loon, "EXPLAIN!"
Menma breathed out his giggles, "Well, truthfully, I drained the spy you'd captured before you used the Ravager. All his knowledge, all his experiences, I wiped his mind bare, and in doing so, went off to fetch a new apprentice with peculiar powers. Jelly?"
"I will not take this betrayal quietly, boy." Growled the Darth, "You will suffer, as none have suffered."
"You couldn't even torture information out of a simple soldier, Baras. You don't scare me, my people were masters of assassination, interrogation and murder. Come at me, man-tits." Hissed the Lord. Well, it would appear he was now 'orphaned' as some had called it, no Master. Not like the fucker actually did anything for him to begin with.
Not like it mattered.
Menma stood up, golden light engulfing his apprentices as he passed them. Each one of them relaxed visibly drifting off to sleep, the Feral Sith almost vanished as he turned to corner, nearly flying through the ship with how quickly he sprinted through it to his quarters.
Dark Temple, Dromund Kass.
Menma went off, only Khem by his side. He didn't want to have the rest be possible targets of Baras' wrath. They weren't strong enough, and at the very least Khem would be bolstered by any possible assassins. Then again, Baras was a 'warrior' his sensory range would be severely dampened by the Dark Temples field.
"Why have we come here, Master?" Asked Khem.
"A voice, called out to me. 'Flesh of my Flesh' kinda guy, must be old but...I don't know who it could be." Answered Menma, looking around the temple, hands in the pockets of his leggings, "Helllooooo? Any spirits here, possibly related to me?" Shouted the Feral Sith, nudging Khem with a grin on his face, said Dashaad merely rolled his eyes.
"Flesh of my Flesh. Brash, loud and flippant. Unlike any Sith I've seen before." Said a voice, the Force Ghost of a man clad in a long coat, with a full-head helmet appeared, said helmet was like a faux face on its own, quite the odd choice to be honest.
"Aloysius Kallig!" Snarled Khem, well...It seemed he was good for exposition along with devouring entire parties of people, good to know.
"Silence, Monster." Snapped Kallig, "Your traitorous Master Hord cannot help you here, bound as you are to my descendant." He turned to Menma who had a confused look on his face, "Flesh of my Flesh, tell me, do you know the name, Kallig?"
"Can't say I do, the only family name I had...For a few minutes before I was cast out, was Uzumaki. And I don't know much about the clan, you'd have to ask my Mother for information on that." Admitted Menma, "But your descendant, huh? Interesting...I thought I was the first Sith from my planet."
"Incorrect. My children fled from Hord and more than likely founded what you know as this 'Uzumaki' family name. Flesh of my Flesh, your power in the Force has awakened me from my stupor." Informed Kallig.
"So...What exactly do you want?" Prodded Menma.
"The moment that I felt you through the force, the moment you touched the stagnant air around you in that tomb, I felt you and I knew that my time had passed, that it would be you, who would return the name Kallig to the galaxy, and use it to strike fear into those that heard it." Menma hummed, tapping his chin in thought.
"It'd be nice to actually have a last name...Sure I guess, Grandfather."
"Your enthusiasm is noted."
"I have a question, before we get to anything else though, 'Force Walk'. Do you know of it? I'd assume as an old Sith you'd have more information than I do."
"The Force walk? Yes. Come with me, child."
End